Themes

Things breaking in death of a salesman are examples of how Willy's life is falling apart. He cannot hold together his family and job, and is going mad. Willy's failing car represents his failing business, for as a salesman his car is his office. The porch shows how the family is being tattered, and it is just a broken remnant of what used to be a good thing. I am interested to see how this theme will carry on into the next acts.

Another theme in the play is Time. When Ben visits, he is in a hurry to leave. This shows the closing window for Willy to be successful, as his brother has little time to spend with him because of his work. Willy's lack of a clock keeps him living in the past, and is causing him to go crazy. Willy's struggle against time is a losing battle, as he cannot stay in the present and does not have a whole lot of time left in his life.

Nostalgia is the most occurring theme in my opinion. Willy i stuck thinking in the past because he had more hope and promise during that time. This was before his sons were failures, and had seemingly unlimited potential. He was still a young man, and he thought his business could only go up. This was a better time for Willy, as he was still on the path to success and thought it would continue. His view of the American Dream was not yet ruined by the harsh reality of life during his past, and that is why his thoughts stay in this time.

Death of a Salesman

1. Willy wants his sons to work hard to make it in life. He is a hard working sales man, and thinks that his sons can achieve success through hard work like he did. This is an important value to be teaching his sons, as they went through high school being very popular and having alot going for them, but now find themselves back at home without work. This concept is very worthwhile to teach young men. Hard work will prevent you from taking your success for granted, and make you work for all that you earn.

2. Willy lives a stressed overworked life. He is getting old, and is beginning to lose his sense. This causes him to have conflicting views, and he thinks too much about unimportant things. His wife Linda plays along with him and supports all that he says. I think that this has two effects, for in the short term it helps Willy and herself, as he won't snap at her and he won't get distressed. However, letting it continue can prevent him from ever stopping. I think she should continue doing what she is doing, as it is not completely harmful to anyone.